The Endless Banquet
by Contrary To Popular Belief
Summary: Curses can be broken, right? Long ago, they were still trying to break it. It took many years and many broken lives, but they managed it in the end.


**Hello, readers! First off, this chapter is dedicated to The Character's Death, who waited with anticipation for the posting of this story. I appreciate your friendship. ^.^**

**Secondly, a warning: If a strange woman shows up at your house and says she'll take you somewhere nice, don't go with her. Call your parents.**

* * *

There was always something wrong, but Ichigo hadn't always noticed it.

It had been quite sudden, the news coming one cold evening as he had been sitting outside, playing quietly by himself. His parents had rushed him into the house, explaining hurriedly that he was to stay in the house and not come out. His mother had hidden him in the very back room, and gone out again. That was the last time he saw her.

Presently, there was a commotion outside, in which Ichigo thought he heard his mother's voice, but it quickly faded. He sat silently in the corner, trying to make sense of this turn of events. He wanted to go out and find someone, anyone, but his mother had warned him against talking to people, in case they found out what happened when a girl hugged him or he got sick. He decided it wasn't worth the risk.

It seemed like hours passed as he sat there, stiff with anxiety and getting sleepy—the moon was quite high in the sky. Then there was a soft rattling noise at the door. Ichigo stared in wonder at the person who opened it.

The first thing he noticed was her richly decorated clothing. Delicate floral patterns covered her kimono, and her dark hair hung softly around her shoulders. Seeing her brought tears to his eyes for some reason, and he sprang to his feet unconsciously as she entered the room.

The first thing she did was kneel down and hug him in quite an unladylike manner. 'My darling nezumi-kun!' she cried, her floral scent surrounding him. 'Here you are!'

Ichigo was confused. Who was this beautiful woman, and why was she talking to him like this? He blinked, realizing that he had unconsciously grasped her skirt and was kneeling in front of her. And as he blinked, he realized that tears were sliding rapidly from his eyes.

Before he had time to be confused, the woman swept him up in her arms. 'Don't be afraid, little one,' she purred. 'I'll take you somewhere safe. You don't need to worry anymore.'

She explained to him that there were others who transformed into animals just like him—the animals of the zodiac, to be precise. He listened, fascinated by her tale of love and dedication.

'When will I meet the others?' he wanted to know when she had finished. To meet others who shared his burden, who understood what he was going through . . . but it was not to be. 'Never mind about them,' she told him. 'Low-minded creatures . . . you're the best out of all of them, my sweet. You must stay with me.'

He was mildly disappointed, but wanted nothing more than to stay close to Chinatsu, his mistress, his ruler. She let him sit on her lap, and proudly showed him off in fancy clothes such as he had never worn before, and he was happy. At least, for a while.

* * *

'What's this?' A poke in the back startled Ichigo as he was playing in the garden, gathering smooth stones in a pile. He turned around to see a stocky boy about his own age. The strange boy was flanked by a small, slender girl with silver hair.

'What?' repeated the boy. 'Is this the kid who lets Chinatsu-sama feed him from her own hand? We didn't think she'd even let you outside!

'What girly hair,' he commented, briefly touching Ichigo's soft gray locks. 'What's your name, nezumi?'

'Ichigo,' the rat mumbled, shuffling away as discreetly as possible. 'I, um . . .'

'I'm Kohei,' the other boy said, proudly tapping himself on the chest. 'I'm the boar from the zodiac.'

'And I'm Sachiko,' murmured the girl with silver hair. 'I'm the snake.'

Ichigo blinked. So these were the people like him, who shared his curse. He could only stare at them, his pebbles forgotten in the sand.

Kohei snapped him back to reality. 'Why are you out here, nezumi? Won't Chinatsu-sama be looking for you?'

He shook his head. 'She's busy.'

Kohei raised an eyebrow. 'Alright, then.' He cast an eye over Ichigo's pile of stones. 'You haven't been here for very long, have you? We'll show you around. Come on,' he added, as a look of reluctance came over Ichigo's face. 'Gardening is for servants.'

'I can't,' he muttered. 'Chinatsu said I can't leave the garden. She'll get angry.'

Kohei snorted. 'You can't play with us in that case.' He turned away, grabbing Sachiko's hand. 'Goodbye, nezumi.'

Ichigo stared after them. He had never met anyone who talked to him so roughly. At home it had always been soft, polite words and gentle actions. Perhaps this was what boys his age were supposed to be like.

Chinatsu's fussing and cooing was surely preferrable to this. He stood up and turned to go inside.

* * *

A few months after he left home, Ichigo began to miss his mother.

Chinatsu was a little like a mother to him, but it wasn't the same. She never stayed with him at night, making sure he went to sleep safely. She was never there when nightmares woke him up. Instead, he stayed awake in the dead darkness, wondering what would become of him. Every day, the aura of peace and content faded a little more. It all ended on one perfectly ordinary afternoon.

Ichigo was creeping around the large house, wishing for the thousandth time that he had taken up Kohei and Sachiko's offer, when he heard shouting. Having nothing better to do, he followed the noise and found himself outside the main hall, where Chinatsu often received guests. She seldom allowed him to go in, so he stayed outside the door, listening.

'I don't care!' Her shrill voice reached his sensitive ears, sounding vastly different from the soft tones she so often used with him. 'Tell that featherbrained idiot she can't leave me for some man! I forbid it!'

Another voice sounded, deeper and quieter. 'Please calm yourself, my lady. I'm sure it's just a youthful fancy. There's no need for—

'I _still_ forbid it!' Chinatsu was fairly shrieking now. When Ichigo peeked around the door, he saw that her naturally pale face was red with fury.

She spoke again, low and angry. 'That girl was rightly born as the rabbit—she has the sense of one, anyway! Who does she think she is? She's devoted to _me! _They're all devoted to me. Tell her I forbid it, Akira. Tell her with your sword, if necessary.'

In his corner, Ichigo shivered.

'Yes, milady.' There was a sound of boots on the floor as the man turned to leave.

Chinatsu's voice called him back. 'Wait! There's something else I want you to see to.'

'What is it, my lady?'

'It's that boy, Ichigo, or whatever he is.' Her voice was light with disregard. 'The rat. I want you to see about arranging another . . . home for him.'

'I thought you wanted to keep him, milady.' The soldier sounded confused.

'I tire of him,' she snapped. 'Find a family to look after him. One that's not too big, and loyal to the family. Make sure they know about _it_.They'll receive generous payment for their troubles.'

'Consider it done.' He bowed and left the room. Once he was gone, Chinatsu sighed. There was an audible rustle as she slumped her shoulders, making creases in her voluminous robe.

'Ichigo, come here.'

He had been so intent on listening that her voice, addressed to him, made him start violently. 'Y-yes?'

'I said come here.' Her bright eyes fixed on him, drawing him forward into the light. Her arm reached out to slide around him as he crept to her.

'You must not remember what I just said,' were her first words. 'Do you understand? Ordinary people like Akira have no concept of the bond you and I share. I love you the most, do you hear me?'

'What—what about the—the rabbit?' was all he could say.

'Oh, don't worry.' Chinatsu's voice held a slight chuckle. 'Nothing bad will happen to her. She's just a silly girl. You'll understand better when you're older.' She fell silent and hugged him, quietly, as the shadows lengthened on the polished floor.

'Chinatsu-sama?'

She looked at him sharply—he had never addressed her like that before. Then the stern look was gone as quickly as it had come. 'What, my dear?'

'Where's my mother?'

A terrible silence fell. He could feel her emotions changing like a stream when rocks are thrown into it. 'Why do you want to know that?' she murmured. The soft covering over her voice was much less evident now.

'I—I miss her, Chinatsu-sama.' There was a tremble in Ichigo's words. 'Can she come and see—

'_No!_'

He flinched as she rose, seeming so much taller in the growing twilight. She must have seen his distress, because she sat down again, patting his head.

'Am I not enough?' There was a veiled threat in her words, ready to be uncovered at any moment. 'You don't need anyone else, Ichigo-kun. You have me. Do you understand?'

He nodded vigorously, wanting nothing more than for her to be calm again. 'But . . .'

'What?' Chinatsu _was_ calmer, but her eyes still pierced him, searching for defiance in his face.

'Well, where is she?' Ichigo tried to feel more confident. 'My mother. I want to know.'

'You don't need to know.'

Her short words made him more curious. 'Where is she?' he questioned, failing to read the signs of frustration in her body language. 'I just want to know—

'Be quiet, rat!' She stood again, raising her hand. 'No, don't say anything,' she added as he opened his mouth. 'Everyone deserts me! First Asuka, now you! Shut your stupid mouth and never ask me another question like that! Never!'

'But I only—

'_Silence!_' she roared, thrusting her face close to his. 'Go and hide in your room like the pathetic animal you are! I command you to leave!'

He rose without meaning to, as if her command controlled his actions. 'Please forgive me, Chinatsu-sama. I just—

'Don't address me like a quivering peasant!' There was no trace of the gentle, beautiful woman now. Chinatsu was a leaping tiger, flying into a rage at a simple boy. She turned and called out. 'Shinju!'

One of the servants, a middle-aged woman with a tired face, entered. 'Yes, milady?'

'Take this cringing rat to that room . . .' and she paused before uttering the next words, 'next to the cat's.'

The woman started slightly. 'Milady—

'Don't delay,' Chinatsu almost snarled. 'I'll decide when he has gotten over himself. Go!'

She pushed Ichigo forward, almost into the woman's arms. Shinju looked decidedly uncomfortable, but took him by the arm and led him out. He was too stunned to resist.

There followed a most awkward silence. Ichigo expected her to talk, but nothing happened. She led him through corridors and gardens until they came to a place where the building seemed to end.

Shinju opened a small door which Ichigo had not noticed, and pushed him inside. 'There are guards outside the cat's room.' she warned him as she closed the door. 'Don't try to get away, or it will go badly for both of us.'

He crept into a corner and sat there quivering, like the rat that he was. It felt like hours later when he heard footsteps outside the door. He leapt forward, hoping that they had come to release him, but they pushed in a bowl and closed the door.

Ichigo's heart sank, but at least he had food. He took the cold rice back to his corner and examined it before setting it down. He couldn't eat at the moment.

Hunched between two cold walls, he dozed off from time to time, dreaming that he was back in his long-forgotten home. But was it his mother or Chinatsu who stood in the shadows and refused to come to him? He woke suddenly, hitting his head on the floor—he had fallen forward in his sleep.

The tapping that had woken him came again, louder this time. It was coming from the wall behind him. He noticed a small, splintery hole in the wall and looked through it. A glowing, amber eye gazed back at him.

Ichigo jumped back with a cry of fear. But the voice that belonged to the eye was anything but spooky.

'Are you going to eat that?' it said.

He sat with his mouth hanging open, not sure whether to flee or not.

'I _said_,' repeated the voice. 'are you going to eat that rice? If not, give it to me. I'm hungry.'

'Um, alright.' He picked up the rice bowl and passed a piece through the hole. It was received by the person on the other side, who was probably human, considering that they had expressed hunger. She, in fact—the voice was definitely feminine.

'W-who are you?' he stammered. 'Why are you here?'

'Who am I?' The woman's voice was complacent as she reached for more rice. 'I'm the cat of the zodiac. That also answers the question of why I'm here.'

'The cat?' Ichigo's present troubles were swallowed up by curiosity. Chinatsu had never told him that there was a cat. As far as he knew, the cat played its part in the story and then faded away. Nobody represented the cat. But, apparently, someone did.

'That's right.' Her voice became resentful. 'I'm the cat. Chinatsu and the others think I'm not fit to be seen, and so I'm here.'

The reality of it came crashing down on Ichigo's small shoulders. Of course, if there was a cat, it would not be allowed to live outside. He had tasted Chinatsu's rage once, and had no desire to do it again. Imagine the brunt of it on this hated creature . . .

'I know what you're thinking.' The cat's voice cut through his thoughts. 'I've had it ever since I was small. Trust me, you don't want to know how long ago that was.'

It struck Ichigo that this woman was not young. How old she was, he had no idea of knowing, but he did know that she shouldn't be locked in a dark room with hardly any food. He looked through the hole in the wall, and saw her eyes again, dark and tired in the gloom.

'Wait, obaa-san!' Ichigo scrambled over to the rice bowl and scooped up several fragments. 'Here you go.' He passed it through the hole into her waiting hands.

She chuckled softly. 'It's nice to see you still have some respect, nezumi, even if I am the cat, and you the rat.'

'What do you mean, obaa-san?' He handed her more rice, waiting for the answer.

'The rat hates the cat,' she said, as casually as if she were discussing the weather. 'That's how it is. In the story, the cat was late to the banquet, and so everyone hates him.'

Deep inside Ichigo, something stirred, sending a ripple of fear through him. 'Does everyone hate you?'

'More or less.'

He passed her the last bit of rice. 'That's all there is, obaa-san.'

'Thankyou.' She sounded tired now. 'You're a good boy. I'm sorry I can't give you anything in return. You should sleep now.'

He crawled over to his corner, feeling different somehow. The cat's words had disturbed something deep inside him, something that had been buried his whole life. Was he supposed to hate this woman? What had she done to him?

'Obaa-san?'

'Yes?' Her voice came from the other side of the wall, steady and reassuring.

'The other rat . . . the one before me, you know . . .'

'What?'

'What was he like?'

She almost laughed. 'He was nothing like you, nezumi-kun. He broke my nose and left me bleeding in a ditch . . . Respect your elders, alright?'

Ichigo stiffened with shock. 'Why did he do that?'

'I foolishly picked a fight with him, thinking I could beat him and win Chinatsu's favour.'

Ichigo felt very small in the scheme of things. To think that there had been hundreds like him, and the cat, and Chinatsu, for thousands of years before. 'How come you couldn't beat him?'

'It's predestined,' she said wearily. 'The cat will never beat the rat. Now you should be sleeping. Don't you know how late it is?'

'Yes, obaa-san.' He closed his eyes, feeling angry—angry at Chinatsu, angry at the sins of his own rat spirit, angry at fate for dealing him such a poor hand.

'_Don't be ashamed of yourself_,' Chinatsu had said. '_As the rat, you are the most blessed.'_

He was beginning to see her differently—not as his gracious benefactor, but as a cruel mistress who would imprison an old woman and send soldiers to terrorize a teenage girl. And he was beginning to realize that he wasn't superior to others, simply because he turned into a rat.

It wasn't a blessing. It was a curse. And curses could be broken, right?

* * *

**Woot! Finally finished! That was probably THE longest chapter I have ever written. Feel special, you guys.**

**Poor Ichigo. I just wanna give him a big hug. *hugs him and turns him into a rat***

**Oh . . . sorry, kiddo. *pats him* Anyway, yeah. Review!**

_**Fruits Basket doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Natsuki Takaya. I'm not that good at drawing.**_


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